Flying over shorelines or perched on its large stick nest, the Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), a raptor, is on the lookout for its favorite food: fish.

Around the 1950s, the Osprey suffered the ill effects of pesticide poisoning contracted from contaminated fish but has since made a strong recovery, becoming a regular nesting bird along the coast and around the inland lakes of San Diego County.

Learn more about the Osprey in the San Diego County Bird Atlas. The book is available at the Museum store, or at your local library.

PHOTO CREDIT: NASA, John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida